REKO - Accessibility in public transport and people with cognitive limitations

Principal investigator: Agneta Ståhl
Co-applicant: Susanne Iwarsson, Gerd Johansson
Doctoral students: Jenny Rosenkvist, Kerstin Wendel & Mattias Wallergård
Other participants: Ralf Risser, Jarl Risberg, Jan Lexell, Björn Slaug & Helene Pessah-Rasmussen

The project focuses on accessibility in the traffic environment for people with cognitive functional impairments. The overall aim of the project is to generate basic knowledge about accessibility problems in surface public transport and to develop methodology and present suggestions for innovative solutions. Society recommends “the whole-journey perspective” in order to achieve public transport accessible for everyone in 2010. Research hitherto has concentrated on physical functional disabilities, whereas people with cognitive functional disabilities have been ignored. As the use of IT increases in society, this group becomes increasingly vulnerable, but knowledge about their problems is insufficient.

The aim of the project is to survey travel habits, needs and accessibility problems in surface public transport among persons with cognitive functional disabilities, which requires extensive measures to develop methods, to test planning methods and suggest solutions. The project is interdisciplinary, with a considerable element of user participation. Three doctoral students are working on different studies. Survey methods based on the Enabler concept and virtual reality technology are important parts of the methodological development. The project will lead to improved knowledge and methods and the presentation of suggested solutions in the form of prototypes.

The primary study group consists of 84 people with cognitive functional impairments after stroke, the majority of them elderly. Almost all had basic mobility capacity and lived in ordinary homes. Results hitherto show that the most common cognitive impairments were attention, language, construction ability and logic. In addition 41% of the studied people also had depression symptoms of such a scope that depression can be suspected, and many also had physical functional disabilities. A third of those who had travelled by bus or train before their stroke travelled to a lesser extent two years later, and almost half did not use bus or train at all then.

In addition, people with great familiarity with the target group took part in focus group interviews. The results show that factors in the physical environment, and people in their surroundings, affect conditions for people with cognitive functional impairments in their use of public transport. Moreover, self-confidence, self-image and the desire to be a “normal” citizen affect people’s inclination to travel by bus and train. Examples were also given of strategies for overcoming the obstacles, for example, finding the way and keeping track of the time.

Financial contributor
Vinnova, National Road Administration, National Rail Administration and PHASE

Time
2003–

Publications

Publikationer
Risser, R., Iwarsson, S, & Ståhl, A. (2011). How do people with cognitive functional limitations post-stroke manage the use of buses in local public transport? Transportation Research Part F. 15, 111-118.

Rosenkvist, J., Risser, R., Iwarsson, S., & Ståhl, A. (2010). Exploring Mobility in Public Environments among People with Cognitive Functional Limitations - Challenges and Implications for Planning. Mobilities, Vol 5, No 1, 131-145.

Wendel, K., Ståhl, A., Risberg, J., Pessah-Rasmussen, H. & Iwarsson, S. (2009). Post-stroke functional limitations and changes in use of mode of transport. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. May 19:1-13.

Rosenkvist, J., Risser, R., Iwarsson, S., Wendel, K. & Ståhl, A. (2009). The use of public transport: A challenging activity either under consideration or out of the question. Descriptions by people living with cognitive functional limitations. Journal of Transport and Land Use, Vol 2, No 1, pp. 65-80. 

Wendel, K., Risberg, J., Pessah-Rasmussen, H., Ståhl, A., & Iwarsson, S. (2008). Long-term cognitive functional limitations post-stroke: Objective assessment compared to self-evaluations and spouse reports. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research 31(3):231-9.

Wendel, K. (2008). Cognitive Functional Limitations Post Stroke and Consequences for Use of Public Transportation. Thesis for degree of Licentiate of Medical Science in Occupational Therapy. Department of Health Sciences, Lund University.

Rosenkvist, J. (2008). Mobility in Public Environments and Use of Public Transport. Exploring the situation for people with acquired cognitive functional limitations. Thesis for degree of Licentiate of  Faculty of Engineering, Department of Technology and Society, Lund University.

Wallergård, M. (2007). Virtual environments as a tool for people with acquired brain injury. Doctoral thesis. Department of design sciences, Lund University.